Vane motor



Sept. 17, 1946.

E. E, PETZOLD 2,407,901

VANE MOTOR Filed Dec. 21, 1945 s sheets sheet 1 22 4 22 m 4 E 7 l5 23 i 29 INVENTOR. EARL E. PETZOL-p p 1946- I E. E. PETZOLD 2,407,901

VANE MOTOR Filed Dec. 21, 19 43 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 'mmvroa.

.EB; ARL E'. PETZOLD iatented Sept. 17, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VANE MOTOR Earl E. Petzold, Burbank, Calif.

Application December 21, 1943, Serial No. 515,108

This invention concerns means and ways for propelling all kinds of craft, land and water, as well as for moving fluids, both gases and liquids.

Rotary and/or reciprocal means and mechanisms are employed for moving plates, panels or vanes in a sinuous, snake-like, or fishtail-like wavy -motion, the panels or vanes, because of such motion, moving large volumes of fluid, either for the purpose of moving the fluid, such as in pipes etc., or for transmitting same from place to place, or for moving fluids with the prime purpose of propelling some kind of a device, or some type of land or water craft. The sinuous or Wavy moving vane may be just a single element or a pair of elements working in opposition to one another so as to be more powerful and efiective as a fluid moving means.

One of the principal objects of thi invention is to present a new and novel power propeller that .ly coupled to the panel and adapted for moving the ends of the panel at various speed rates, one end of the panel always lagging behind the other end thereof in movement so that the fluids are constantly being forced in one direction.

Still, another object is to provide a pair of working plates or panels which have wavy motion, the opposed ends of the panels always moving in opposite directions so that their joint efiective thrust upon the surrounding medium is in a single forward direction, but, however, rearward direction is accomplished by reverse operation of the plates or panels. 7

Other objects, advantages and features of my invention will appear from the accompanying drawings, the subjoined detailed description, the preamble of these specifications and the appended claims.

Applicant is about to illustrate and describe one of the forms of his invention in order to teach one how to make and use the same, but it is to be understood that th drawings and description thereof are not to limit the invention in any sense whatsoever, except as limited by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows one form of the invention in side View, the bottom portion th reof being in elevation and the upper portion thereof being in section.

Claims. (Cl. 103-80) Fig. 2 is a vertical view taken substantially along th -line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is is a vertical View taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a left end elevational view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a graph showing the general wavy movement of a portion of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a modified form of the invention as i applied to a boat, a portion of the boat being shown in side elevation with a part thereof broken away to show the applied invention.

Fig. '7 is a cross sectional view of a portion of the boat of Fig. 6 and taken at right angles thereto. 7

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a portion of an element shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a vertical View, partly in section, showing how the single panel moving mechanism of Fig. 1 can be applied to the double panel form of the invention in Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive, and

Fig, 10 is an end vertical view of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is an elevational view, partly in section, showing a ball joint connection to the vane, the view being taken substantially along the line i!-H of Fig. 1.

The invention as shown in Figs. 1 to 4 is for a pump device and includes an outer shell or cover which comprises a bottom wall 1, side walls 2 and 3, top wall 4, and a central horizontal wall or partition 5. Extensions of the lower portion of the shell includes the connecting flanges 6 and l, as shown, so that the pump device can be securely and tightly fastened to the flanges of the duct or pipe through which the fluid is to be pumped. The lower portion of the device is rectangular in section, cross-wise or longitudinally, but in the event the device is to be connected to circular pipe, adapters having round and rectangular ends can be employed, the same being well known in the trade.

The partition 5 forms the device into two chambers, a pump chamber 8 and a driving mechanism chamber 9. The partition 5, as well as other walls of the device may be joined as shown so spective rod l4; these rods being extensions from the link-pistons l and I6, as shown. The ball joint housings each have the circular openings I! at the tops thereof so that the rods l4 can swing in any of a number of directions. Pintle type hinges may be used in place of the ball joints, especially in this particular form of the invention, but the ball type is illustrated so that the device will operate when some other type of driving mechanism is used in place of the one shown.

Each of the: linklike pistons l5 and I6 consist of a cross-like frame having a horizontal slot l8 for a roller-pin [9 to ride in, the pin having a flanged head to keep it in the slot. The rod I4 forms the lower stem of the cross-like frame andthe integral upright guide member 20 forming the upper stem of the frame. In order to make each frame ride freely vertically, the lower bear-- ing 2| and the upper bearing 22 is provided, in

walls 5 and 4 respectively, as shown. The upper wheel 23 being provided for working with they frame and .the crank-wheel 24 being provided for working with the frame I6. The crank-wheels are keyed to the opposite ends of a shaft 25 and the shaft is held in position by the journal blocks 26 and 2'! which are fixed to the top of the partition 5. Any suitable means may be provided for rotating the shaft, butfor a complete showing, the shaft is rotated by an electric motor 28 that is fixed to the top of the device; the motor having connection with the shaft through the bevel gears 29 and 36 as shown. Note that the setting of the crank pin 19 of the crank-wheels is such that the frame l6 leads the frame 15 by about 4.5 degrees as the crankwheels rotate in the direction indicated by the arrows thereon.

The arrangement J'us-t related gives the plate or vane ID a sinuous motion as indicated by the graph in Fig. 5. This graph shows a sine wave 3| with the plate or vane I E] positioned thereon in full lines to indicate the position of the vane as shown in Fig. 1; the two previous positions are indicated in dotted lines at a: and y, and the later positions by a, b, c, d and e to complete the cycle. manner as set forth, the plate will Wave to and fro as though neatly following the sine curve 3|. Should the plate It! and its driving mechanism be slanted or turned on its side, obviously the motion and effect of the plate would be the same.

Another form of the invention is shown as applied to a small boat 35, note Figs. 6 to 8. The bottom of the boat is indicated at 36, the deck at 31 and the rudder at 38. At the rear of the boat is a crank shaft 39 having the cranks. 40, 4|, 42 and 43. The shaft is supported by the standard bearing 44 at one end and the bearing 45 at the other end, the bearing 45 being supported by the frame of the gasoline motor indicated in general at 46. Each one of the cranks have connected thereto a depending workrod 41, these rods connecting the forward end of the panel or plate 43 with the crank 42', the forward end of the panel or plate 49 with the crank 43', the aftw'ard end By connecting the plate I0 in such a of the plate 48 with the crank 40', and the aftthe slot 5| not being as close to its edge of the plate as the slot 50 is to its edge of the plate because of the axial displacement of the cranks. These slots are provided for the purpose of leading the rods of the cranks 4| and 43 directly to their respective ends of the plate 49 as shown. Pintle type hinges may be employed for pivotally connecting the power ends of the rods to the plates, but instead thereof, the ball joints 52 are shown which are: the same as the ones shown in Fig. 1 of the'drawings.

The plate 49 is connected so as to wave in a sinuous motion in direct opposition to the wavy sinuous motion of the plate 48, these plates each having the wavy motion as indicated in the graph of Fig. 5. When the plates are under the power action of the crank shaft 39, the water of the lake, river or sea is forced in the direction of the arrow causing the boat to move forward. Other types and kinds of water craf-t may be so propelled such as large surface ships, submarines, etc.

Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate how the driving mechanismof Fig. 1 may he modified for working a pair of vanes. The drive shaft of Figs. 10 and 11 is a straight on and indicated at 65, and. has the cross crank levers 66 and 66' integral with the ends thereof. At each bearing end of the crank lever is a roller-pin 61, each one of which rides in a slot of a cross-like frame; for instance, at one end of the crank shaft, one of the roller-pins rides in the slots 68 of the frame 69', and the other roller-pin rides in aslot 10 of the frame "ll; note that these cross l ike frames are the same as the frames 15 and I6 ofFig. 1.. The lower stems l2 and 13, and '52" and-13" of the frames pass through the partition or deck 31 of the.=boat, as shown, or in the case of the airplane, said stems would pass through th floor and skin thereof.

The stem T2 connects pivotally with the 'rear-* ward end of the plate 48 and the stem 13 connects pivotally with the rearward end of the plate 49. The similar frames 69" and H and stems 12' and 13' respectively have connection with the other ends of the plates 43 and 49 as the other end of the crank shaft 65. Any suitable power connected means may be employed for rotating the drive shaft 65, for simplicity, the shaft is shown as having the pulley wheel 14 keyed there- I to with the endless belt I51 connecting the pulley Wheel with some suita'blemeans of powersuch as the gasoline motor of the boat 35 or the gasoline engine of the plane 55;

Fig. 11 shows how the ball joint II is connected' to the vane or plat [0. It is sometimes necessary to provide slip means so that one of the ball joint housings of each vane can slide slightly along the vane to compensate for the slight difference in space distance between the ball joints when the vane is in operation; however', loose play of the parts may be enough in some instances without the employment of the ball joint type H. When the joint ll'is' required, a slight dovetail like cut is made in the vane as indicated at 16' and the housing II is provided with a bevelled'base H which neatly slides in the cut [0.

It is, of course, understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of form, style, design and construction of the whole or any part of the specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing: from the spirit. thereof, such changes and modificatio'ns being restricted" only by the limitations clearly expressed in the following claims:

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A fluid propelling device comprising a housing having a plurality of chambers, one of the chambers constituting an open duct and another of the chambers constituting a closed compartment, a movable plate means in the duct and mechanism in the compartment for moving the plate means in a sinuous manner, the mechanism comprising a crank shaft with a pair of spaced apart crank elements keyed thereto, a crank-pin at the periphery of each of the elements, a reciprocable rod adjacent each of the elements and entering said duct, means at the top of the rods connecting with their respective adjacent crankpin and means at the other ends of the rods pivotally connecting with opposite edges of the plate means and power means connected to the shaft for rotating it, said rods including cross-like frames, each frame having a short arm and a long arm, the short arm of each frame having a guide slot, and said crank-pins engaging the slots of the short arms of the frame. I

2. A fiuid propelling device comprising a. housing having a plurality of chambers, one of the chambers constituting an open duct and another of the chambers constituting a closed compartment, a plurality of movable vanes in the duct and mechanism in the compartment for waving the vanes in a sinuous manner, the mechanism comprising a crank shaft having fixed thereto a pair of spaced apart crank means, each crank means having spaced apart crank-pins, a crank rod extending from each crank-pin and entering said duct and having a pivoted connection at one end of one of the vanes, the pair of rods at one end of the shaft having like connection with their respective vanes and the pair of rods at the other end of the shaft having like connection with their respective vanes, each rod Where it connects with its respective crank-pin having a straight elongated slot.

'3. A propeller device comprising a movable plate and mechanism for sinuously working the plate, the mechanism comprising a crankshaft having connecting rod means with their ends pivoted to the plate, and power means connected to the shaft for rotating it, the connecting means comprising a plurality of link-like pistons, each piston including a pair of arms forming crosslike frames having a slot, a crank pin in each slot eccentrically connected to the crank shaft, said crank pins reciprocating the frames in a substantially straight line. i

4. A propeller device including a pair of independently operating plates and mechanism for sinuously'working the plates in opposition to one another, the mechanism including a crank shaft having extended connecting means reaching to and joined pivotally with the plates by ball and socket joints, power means for rotating the shaft, each of said connecting means comprising a frame in the form of a cross wherein one arm of each frame has a straight slot to receive a crankpin, a plurality of cranks connected to the shaft having crank-pins, and a crank-pin in each slot for the purposes described.

5. A propeller device including a pair of independently operating plates and mechanism for sinuously working the plates, the mechanism including a crank shaft having extended connecting means reaching to and joined pivotally with the plates by ball and socket joints, power means for rotating the shaft, the mechanism including a pair of crank means keyed to the shaft and spaced apart along the shaft, a reciprocable element adjacent to and positioned on each sideof each crank means, a pair of crank-pins fixed to each crank means and arranged so that a crank-pin engages each element, a rod extending from each element and connected to the plates, one rod from each pair of elements connecting with opposite ends of one of the plates and the other rod from each pair of elements connecting with the opposite ends of the other plate.

EARL E. PETZOLD. 

